The girl I left behind
by RecklessAbandon123
Summary: Klaroline AU/AH. Klaus and Caroline were high school sweethearts until after one night's mistake she gets pregnant. Afraid of fatherhood, Klaus leaves her and never looks back until six years later when they cross paths again, this time in NYC.
1. Chapter 1

# The girl I left behind chapter 1 #  
A/N: I don't know if I will continue this story, but hey, it's Klaroline and this idea begged me to be written so...

Tell me what you think and if I should continue writing it, but most of all...Enjoy, my lovelies!

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own tvd.

One second Caroline was sleeping peacefully in her comfy bed and snuggling into her warm blanket, and the other she found herself being awoken by an excited five-year-old jumping on top of her and hollering with her baby voice "Wake up wake up wake up."

Caroline sat up, effectively freeing her airway from the mop of dirty blond hair of the bouncy little girl before her.

"Just give me a minute, Alex honey." she said groggily as she rubbed the sleep off her eyes and stifled a yawn.

"But mommy, we're going to be late." Alex whined.

Caroline ruffled her daughter's curly hair and stood up.

"What would you like for breakfast?" she asked and Alex started bouncing excitedly on her feet once again- Caroline would swear that she was the most energetic child on earth.

"Pancakes!" Alex yelled happily, making Caroline laugh.

Half an hour later, Caroline was freshly showered and making breakfast in their small yet cozy kitchen. Alex was seated on a stool , her chin barely reaching the kitchen table. Caroline helped her daughter adapt the stool to her height and she sipped her coffee as Alex happily munched her syrup-soaked pancakes.

"Come on, sweety. We have to go." Caroline said, but Alex didn't move.

"I don't want to go to kindergarten again." Alex said, her face scrunched up in a sullen expression and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why? Alex, talk to me." Caroline, who was putting on her coat, turned around to look at her daughter, concern in her face.

Alex didn't answer and Caroline stood eye to eye with her and said in a soft voice "What is wrong? You know you can talk to me."

"The kids make fun of me because I don't have a daddy." Alex said in a tiny voice, her eyes cast down to stare at her shoes.

So this was the problem, Caroline thought. Alex didn't ask about the father she never knew, and Caroline never mentioned him either. As if he never existed- that was the promise Caroline made to herself when she was left alone and pregnant with Alex.

"Alex, listen to me." Caroline gently raised her daughter's chin to look her in the eye, her voice firm "You might not have a father, but you have me and if anyone makes fun of you again, I will make sure they go crying back to their moms."

At that Alex perked up and gave her a small, missing-tooth smile. Caroline helped her wear her pink fluffy coat and then took her hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Let's go."

XXXXX

Caroline worked as an editor in a renowned magazine, but her quirky and borderline-crazy boss usually assigned her secretary duties first thing in the morning.

"I'm not your slave, I hope you know that." she told Damon Salvatore as she placed a mug of steaming coffee on his desk and he chuckled.

Damon and Caroline had quitted with the formalities ever since he started calling her Barbie and she learnt to overlook his whims and not get intimidated by him like all the other employees in the magazine- which was practically from the very beginning of their partnership.

"I know, but I am your boss and you will keep making me coffee for as long as I say."

It was Caroline's turn to chuckle. "You know, Damon, you would be the biggest dick on earth if not for Alex' absent father."

Caroline had come in terms with Damon's personality those last three years she had been working for him, and she had come to consider him her friend even before her best friend started dating his brother, so he knew enough about Caroline's previous relationahip. Damon had even met Alex and they had hit it off from the start.

"How is my niece, by the way?" Damon asked, not bothering to deny the fact that he was a dick.

"Alex? She's fine. A little afraid of kindergarten, but fine nonetheless."

"In that case you can leave work early and go surprise her." Damon said, and after seeing Caroline's excited expression added quickly "After you finish that article you owe me for today."

"Oh my God, Damon. You are the best." Caroline said, and before she could go up to him and hug him he held up a hand and getting back to his usual jerky self said "Don't get used to it, Barbie. And you'll be making coffee for me till the day you die."

She stuck her tongue at him as if she was a child and then went back to her office with renewed vigour.

XXXXX

Caroline pushed her car's door shut and then walked towards the colourful building where Alex' nursery school was located. She waited outside, watching the kids playing in the yard, their loud laughter and shouts echoing all around.

When Alex spotted her, she stopped whatever she was doing and started running towards her. Caroline caught her in her arms and swirled her around once, planting a kiss on her hair.

"Mommy, you're here!" Alex exclaimed.

Caroline let go of Alex and after taking her teacher's consent to pick her up early, she asked her daughter "What do you want to do? Just tell me. How about we go for ice-cream?"

Alex was silent as they walked hand in hand towards Caroline's car, her lower lip sticking out. She always got that expression when she was thoughtful.

"Can we go to the arts and crafts shop?" Alex asked timidly.

"Darling, you know we don't have enough money to buy anything. Not today, at least."

"I know. I just want to make sure no one has bought my easel yet. Please?" Alex said, turning blue imploring eyes at her.

Caroline sighed. She couldn't refuse her daughter anything when she was looking at her like this. She fastened Alex' seatbelt and then got in the car and pushed the key in the ignition.

As she drove and watched Alex through the rearview mirror, Caroline thought that the birth of her daughter was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Sure, when she got pregnant months before she graduated high school things weren't easy. Her mother had turned her back on her, her boyfriend dumped her when he learnt he was going to become a father and if it wasn't for her friends Elena and Matt, Caroline didn't know what would have happened, but in the end she was glad she had kept Alex.

The arts and crafts shop was opposite a big park and usually Caroline would take Alex there to feed the pigeons and play in the playground, but today she was impatient, tugging at her sleeve and urging her to move.

Alex had such talent at drawing that Caroline was really sad she couldn't afford to buy her all those expensive paints and canvases. Alex was looking at the paints on display at the shop with a longing expression, her small nose pressed against the glass of the window. Caroline took pity in her and said

"I can't afford to buy you any paints, but maybe I coule get you a few crayons."

Without letting a second go to waste, Alex grabbed Caroline's hand and started dragging her inside the shop just as the door was opening, and Caroline found herself colliding with a slender yet firm chest.

The stranger reached out to steady her and she started to apologise for her clumsiness when she looked the man she had run into in the face and she froze.

"Klaus" she whispered even though her vocal chords felt stuffed and useless.

Before her stood a man she had thought- wished- she wouldn't see again. Klaus was the man Caroline had loved and she had thought he loved her as well before he broke her heart and made her draw in her shell and not let another man in her life from fear of having her heart broken again.

Recognition flashed in Klaus' eyes. Caroline hadn't forgotten those ocean blue eyes. After all she saw them everyday in Alex' face, because among all, Klaus was the man that left her while she was pregnant with his child six years ago.  



	2. Chapter 2

# The girl I left behind chapter 2 #

A/N: I want to say a huge thank you to the people who left a review of the first chapter or added it in their fav/alert list. I think this is what made me continue this story and I'm grateful for your support.

Also, don't hate Klaus. He's not bad. I agree that Caroline has to make him work for it, but I think you'll understand why Klaus left six years ago in the next chapters.

Enjoy, my lovelies!

Klaus gazed into green eyes he hadn't thought he would see ever again. Right now they were seething pools of anger and accusation as she got over the shock of seeing him again.

Caroline's eyes bore into him and the first thought that crossed Klaus' mind was that he deserved all the anger and the hatred in the world and still that wouldn't be enough.

She was exactly as he remembered her, all soft blond curls and long legs and curves in all the right places, even though it had been six years. Then, Klaus' eyes wandered from Caroline's rigid frame to the little girl clinging on her coat and he was frozen.

The girl looked exactly like him, from the mess of dirty blonde hair to the blue eyes; her small round face was a combination of both Klaus and Caroline's features. There was no denying that this girl was his daughter.

Klaus felt something inside him break, only for it to be mended again. He had thought that Caroline wouldn't keep the baby, convinced himself that if she just made abortion he hadn't completely ruined her life. He had been foolish, of course, Klaus could see it now. Just a look at his daughter was enough to make a warmth spread inside him and determination set in.

"Caroline, I think we need to talk." he told her- a stupid thing to say.

Her green eyes narrowed vehemently at him and she put a protective arm around the little blond-haired girl's shoulders, making her take a step away from Klaus.

"Talk?" Caroline said in a low, menacing voice, and Klaus was sure that she would have jabbed a finger on his chest to enphasise each word, if not for her reluctance to go anywhere near him "We have nothing to talk about."

"Please, Caroline. Just hear me out. I want to make up to you and our daugh-"

"Alex", Caroline cut him in a loud, slightly hysterical voice "Go wait in the car."

"But mommy..." his daughter- Alex, Klaus thought, filled with a sense of pride- muttered, looking confused from the one adult to the other.

"Please, sweety."

Alex pouted but complied and Klaus was left alone with Caroline on the pavement as many people walked past them, going about their business.

"Let's go somewhere quieter." Klaus started, but Caroline interupted him once again, stubbornly standing her ground.

"Listen here, Klaus", she said his name with such spite that he innately took a step back, hurt even though he knew he deserved it "You leave me pregnant and instead of being there for me you disappear for six years. Six fucking years, dammit. We have nothing to talk about so you can do what you do best: leave."

"I know what I did was unforgivable. You're right, I should have stood by you and deal with it together, but what I'm trying to tell you now is that I understand my mistakes and want to make up to you. Alex needs her father."

"No, Klaus." When she spoke again Caroline's voice was surprisingly calm and that made it scarier "Alex doesn't need her father. Where was her father when she was growing up? Where was her father when we had no money and I had to find a job while taking care of a two-year-old? Alex has me and if you dare to approach her I swear you're going to pay it."

Her voice was wavering at the end, her expression stony and cold. Klaus' heart clenched painfully. In the end it wasn't Caroline's life that had been destroyed, or even the life of his daughter, he could see it now, because Caroline was strong enough to have her child and keep it and be bappy with alex. Klaus had caused the most damage to himself by abandoning the most important thing in his life.

However, he had regretted it, regretted the decision he had made six years ago. But it couldn't be too late. Klaus wanted to make it right to whatever lengths he had to go, and that must mean something, right? That he was capable of changing and that he could fix his mistakes. He had been absent from Caroline and Alex' life, but not anymore.

"Just stay away from us. You've done enough damage." Caroline said, stalking towards her car without looking at him, even when he said in a voice full of despair "I'm sorry."

It took her a while to get the key into the ignition, but after a few tries Caroline finally managed to get the car started.

"Mommy, why are crying?" Alex asked with concern.

"I'm not crying, sweetheart. I'm fine." Caroline said, but even as the words left her mouths she knew they weren't true.

Caroline quickly wiped the tell-tale wetness from her cheeks and gripped tightly the steering wheel till her knuckles turned white in an attempt to pull herself together.

"Who was the man from before?" Alex asked after a while and only when Caroline was sure her voice was steady did she answer "He was just an old friend."

"You called him Klaus." Alex said again and for a moment the thought that her daughter knew that Klaus was her father- maybe having eavesdropped on a conversation of Caroline with Elena or Damon- crossed Caroline's mind and fear took over.

"Yes, that's his name. But we won't be seeing him again. He's leaving New York tomorrow." Caroline said carefully, the lie slipping effortlessly out of her lips.

The rest of the ride home was silent, and so was lunch. Caroline could tell that the meeting with Klaus had troubled Alex, and she didn't even know the truth. She didn't want to know what it would be like if she did.

As Alex took her afternoon nap, Caroline knelt on the floor by her bedside, stroking her hair. She thought that she would not let Klaus or anyone else ruin the safe environment Caroline had created for her daughter. She would keep the truth from her at any cost, because Caroline didn't want Alex to feel the same pain she had felt years ago, pain caused by Klaus.

She would keep her daughter safe.

Klaus entered the revolving doors and stalked into the elevator and towards his office.

"Mr. Mikaelson." his assistant started, but soon grew quiet when she saw the fierce determination on his face.

"Pearl, I'm not here for anyone. I don't want anyone to disturb me unless I say so. Also call Elijah and tell him to come here immediately." Klaus said and entered his office, closing the door behind him.

He sagged on his chair and pushed it towards his desk. Without wasting a minute, Klaus opened his computer and logged in the Internet.

Caroline had made it clear that she didn't want him in her life, but Klaus had been running away from his responsibilities long enough, but not anymore. Even if she didn't want him to approach her and their daughter, Klaus was determined to prove to Caroline that he had changed and would be there for them from now on.

He opened his favourite search engine and typed Caroline Forbes. To his surprise, many results appeared and after examining some of them, Klaus found out that they were all articles from a certain magazine and realised that that was where Caroline must be working.

That was when the door of his office opened and Klaus was ready to growl that he was busy, but after looking up he saw it was Elijah.

"Niklaus, what is wrong? I came as soon as I could." his brother said, sitting on a chair before Klaus's desk.

"She's here, Elijah. Caroline lives in New York with our daughter." Klaus said, his voice showing the torrent of feelings fighting for dominance inside him, some of them uncertainty and fear, but also excitement and determination in equal measures.

Elijah straightened on his chair and peered at Klaus in this older brother way that always made Klaus feel certainty that Elijah was with him and would help him with whatever he was facing "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to help her raise our daughter, of course, something I should have been doing those previous years."

"Niklaus, I'm your brother and I'm going to support you no matter what you chose as I always have, but have you thought that Caroline might not want your help? You have to give her her time and not expect from her to just forgive you immediately. You must push what you want aside and for once to put Caroline and your daughter's above everything else. Are you ready to do this?" Elijah was leaning towards Klaus as he spoke in that serious voice he always used when he wanted to make him realise something important, his eyes boring into his.

Klaus returned the stare and said firmly "Yes. Yes, damn it, I am."

Elijah smiled and leaned back against his chair, smoothing the nonexistent crinkles from his suit. "I think you are. I'm proud of you, Niklaus and remember, it is never too late to fix your mistakes."

Klaus nodded and then turned back to his computer. He found the site of the magazine in which Caroline was working and moments later he had a piece of paper with the adress of the central building of the magazine in his hands.

Klaus just hoped Caroline wouldn't hate him more for what he would do, but even if she couldn't see it now, he wasn't going to let her down again, even if it was the last thing he would do. 


	3. Chapter 3

# The girl I left behind chapter 3 #  
The next morning when Caroline went to the office, there was a surprise waiting for her. Damon was sitting on her desk, a mug of coffee in his hands and at first she didn't understand something was wrong, so she said jokingly

"I never thought the day would come when you would be up bright and early to make your own coffee, Damon, but I would really appreciate if you moved your butt from my work."

Damon jumped off the desk, not even bothering to straighten the papers he had messed, but his expression was sobre when he said "Someone came this morning looking for you. He said his name was Klaus."

Caroline's hands involuntarily clenched into tight fists. "That bastard", she muttered under her breath, but aloud she said, struggling to keep her voice level "Did he say what he wanted?"

Damon was many things, but he was no fool. He saw right through Caroline's forced calmness and walked towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder "He's still here. I told him to wait in my office because he wouldn't leave until he talked to you, but I can call security if you want."

As tempting as the thought of watching Klaus being dragged away by a security guard, Caroline shook her head in denial "No. I should jsut get over with it, or else he'll never leave me alone."

She tool a deep breath and after Damon let her know that he would be close by and watching, Caroline marched into the office. Klaus was sitting on the leather couch Damon liked to nap in when he pretended to work, and he stood up when he saw her.

"I thought I told you not to bother me again. Do you want me to go to the police?"

"Caroline, will you listen to me for just a moment? Leaving you was wrong and I don't expect you to forgive me. Damn it, I haven't even forgiven myself, but you have to believe me that if I knew you had decided to keep the baby, I would have tried to find you." Klaus said. His voice was firm, his expression earnest.

Caroline remembered that when they were together all through highschool, she could always tell when he was lying to her or holding something back, but could he trust him now? If she did there was a danger she would lose everything she had managed to achieve the years she had been raising Alex on her own.

"How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that you won't just go to Alexa and tell her the truth, or even worse some elaborate lie? She might be your daughter, Klaus, but you lost every right you had on her when you left us." It was hard saying those words. Scratch that, everything was hard and her peaceful life had been turned upside down the moment they crossed paths again after six years apart.

Klaus incredibly blue eyes looked intently into her, and Caroline tried hard not to let feelings and old memories she had buried deep inside her resurface as he spoke "I'd like to tell you that you can trust me, but I have no right to ask you that. I will, however, make a proposion."

Caroline crossed her arms defiantly and raised an eyebrow, urging Klaus to continue "Just give me three months. Three months to prove that I can be a good father, that I am capable of changing. I promise that Alex won't learn that I'm her father, and you have to trust me in only that one, but I would never let anything happen to her."

Caroline squeezed her sides with her hands, because now it didn't seem like she was crossing her arms, but rather like she was trying to hold herself from falling into pieces. Thoughts of her daughter were running wilde in her head, how Alex needed a father figure, and how all she wanted was to protect her daughter from the pain she had experienced if Klaus left again.

Yet, the hopeful look on his face made Caroline swallow the lump in her throat and say thickly "You only have three months and you will only see Alex under my conditions."

Klaus nodded once, determination in his face. Caroline just wished that she wouldn't live to regret this decision.

"What did that dick want?" Damon asked after Klaus was gone, starting Caroline who had perched on the armrest of the couch and was gazing off into the distance, lost in her thoughts.

"Damon, discreet as always." Caroline said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you since we are family and all that."

"I don't see how your brother's dating my best friend makes us family, but thanks, Damon." Caroline said, and he gave her a smile less devilish than usual.

She shook her head, thinking that she never expected to see the day when Damon wouldn't act like a bastard oblivious to her mood. Of course the moment was broken when Damon said "Now get the hell out of my office. The magazine won't be run by itself. I need to work."

"You mean you need to sleep." Caroline said as she got out the door, followed by Damon's yelling something along the lines of 'I hope Klaus didn't touch my couch.'

XXXXX

Klaus went home that day feeling a renewed energy. Caroline had agreed to let him see Alex, and that was all that mattered.

He had dinner with his siblings and wouldn't stop smiling like an idiot. Rebekah, who had been informed by Elijah of what had happened, looked at him like he had lost his mind, but he didn't mind. His head was full of pictures of his little girl, looking like a small blond angel, and his heart swelling with fondness and pride.

When night came, Klaus was feeling so happy that he was positive the dreams wouldn't come, but they did, of course, as they always did, only this time it was different.

Instead of dreaming of himself as a child and his father abusing him, the nightmare was not the same as all the other times he had had this dream. There was a small trembling child cowering on the floor, its arms wrapped around itself, weeping softly. And there was a man towering above it, kicking and hitting its small body, his voice loud and unforgiving and speaking words of hatred and disdain that in the small child's mind were far more worse that the beating.

Only this time, the child wasn't Klaus and the man hitting it wasn't Mikael. Because in a flash of light, Klaus identified Alex as the bloody, crying child on the floor, and the hateful man above her as himself.

A/N: Hello everyone. I wanted to update earlier, but then TVD and TO started and I had been busy fangirling and writing shitty one-shots. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. Constructive criticism always helps me write better :)

I hope you understand now why Klaus is so afraid of fatherhood. He thinks that he will end up being like his father, but don't worry he's not going to leave again. This time he's going to fight his demons with the help of two certain blond girls.  



	4. Chapter 4

Caroline knelt before her daughter, taking her time to do the buttons of her coat and pull her dirty blond hair away from her cutely round face with the childish features and big blue eyes that spoke of innocence and curiosity when Alex turned them towards her mother.

"Who is this friend of yours, mommy?" Alex asked, and Caroline cupped her daughter's face into her hands and kissed her forehead.

"His name is Klaus. He's an old friend from Mystic Falls, I told you." Caroline said, forcing her voice to sound flippant and flicking Alex's noise, while inside she was panicking.

What if Alex could sense Caroline was hiding something from her? What if she found that Klaus and Caroline were hardly friends anymore, and at the same time so much more than that?

The thought that she would have to put on the 'friends' act so that her daughter would not suspect the truth made Caroline feel sick in her stomach.

Okay, Caroline. Keep it together, she thought to herself as she pulled Alex towards her for a hug, burying her face in her soft baby shampoo-smelling hair to give herself a moment to pull herself together. However, when the bell rung, signaling Klaus' arrival, Caroline felt like no amount of deep yoga breaths and telling herself to stay calm could help her control her panicky thoughts.

She stood up and walked towards the door. As expected, Klaus was waiting outside with a sheepish and anticipating expression on his face. Even after six years and despite everything that had happened, Caroline still found herself marvelling at how handsome he was. With his button-down grey shirt, dark washed jeans and clean-shaven face, he hardly looked like a businessman.

With the way the early morning light fell to his face, casting shadows to his face and at the same time illuminating his eyes to the point that they looked like sea waves sparkling under the sun, Caroline was reminded of the time they were together in high school, when he would turn up every morning at her door so they would go to school together, most of the times the both of them ending up anywhere but _at_ school, or on the rare occasions that Liz Forbes was home, earning her disapproval and then laughing like crazy when they were alone and kissing breathless.

Caroline felt something like a dull ache in her heart at the reminiscence of their old times together, and she sealed the memory away along the other memories she had of Klaus- good and bad alike. However, Caroline decided to cling onto the bad memories the most, because if she let herself remember what they were like and how she felt about him, that would certainly not help her with the vow he had taken to always protect her daughter.

"Good morning." Klaus said with a small smile etched on his face. "Is Alex ready?"

He really looks hopeful, Caroline thought just as Alex came behind her to see who was at the door and she poked her head around her waist and peered shyly at Klaus.

He knelt down so that his eyes were on the same level as Alex' and he said "Hello, princess. We have met before but I don't think I have introduced myself properly. I'm Klaus but you can call me Nik if you want."

Alex had always been a shy child. At kindergarten, she found it difficult to make friends, and when Caroline took her to the park, she saw that she was shy around other children and didn't participate in their games. Instead, she seemed content being on her own swinging or quietly playing in the sandbox. Caroline was always worried about it, considering the fact that when she was at Aex's age she was a wild kid that drove her parents crazy with her constant naughty behaviour and tendency to getting into trouble. She felt like it was her fault for not being able to provide a fatherly figure to Alex that she was so introverted and hid in her shell.

However, to Caroline's great surprise, after a moment of hesitation Alex stopped hiding behind her and she gave Klaus a wide missing-tooth smile, telling him sweetly "I'm Alex."

Klaus must had seen something in Caroline's blank expression, because he rose back to his full height and said, leaning against the door frame since she had made no move as to invite him inside the house. "Whenever you're ready we can go."

Caroline placed a shoulder on her daughter's face and said, looking into her eyes. "Promise me you'll be a good girl."

With one last hug, Caroline reluctantly let her daughter go.

Klaus took Alex's hand into his own and they headed towards his car parked in the driveway. Caroline followed them outside to make sure that Alex was safely put into the backseat of the car with her school bag next to her.

Klaus smiled at Caroline, but she couldn't return the smile. Worry was eating her from the inside. Even after all this time, Klaus could still read her face.

"Don't worry, Caroline. I'll take good care of her." he said.

Her throat felt dry and as if there was sandpaper rubbing against her vocal chords. She only replied with a curt "I hope so."

XXXXX

The only reason why Caroline let Klaus drive Alex to school so soon after she agreed to let him see her was because of an emergency that arose at work. Damon had called her the day before and told her to come to the magazine as soon as she could the next morning, and Caroline had very limited time to make up her mind. Still, she had been hovering over the phone for quite some time until she was finally able to dial Klaus and ask him if he could bring Alex to kindergarten and then drive her to the magazine in the afternoon.

Klaus had been happy, of course he was, but as Caroline climbed up the stairs to the building where the magazine's headquarters were located, she swore she would murder Damon if his emergency was that the coffee maker had broken down and he needed her to figure out how to fix it.

She didn't bother knocking, but burst into the office. Surprisingly enough, Damon was not napping on his couch, nor was he playing cards in his computer while ordering his employees around. He was pacing the floor, his brows furrowed and looking deep in thought.

Well, that is new, Caroline thought as she rapped her knuckles on the open door since Damon hadn't noticed her entering.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked as Damon's head shot up to look at her.

"I've had kind of a harsh night, aka I slept on the couch, tossing and turning and thinking that if we don't find money soon, the magazine will have to close down." Damon said, running a hand through his messy dark hair and looking at her for her reaction.

Caroline gaped at him, but that wasn't one of Damon's morbid jokes. She slouched down on a chair and asked Damon, feeling a little dazed. "Are they really closing us down?"

"You know that when I took the reigns of the magazine, no one believed I could manage to drag it out of the shit father dearest had sunk us into with his gambling debts? Well, I made it and restored the magazine's reputation, but there are still some debts that need to be paid, and we're kind of sort on money right now."

Caroline wished she could help Damon. She felt the magazine like her home. When she first came to New York, the only jobs she could find were as bartender and waitress, and most of them required working night shifts. With Alex being still a baby she needed to take care of, and her wage not enough to make ends meet, Caroline was depending greatly on her best friend Elena.

When Elena started dating Stefan, things changed. In contrast to the other jerks her friends had been dating all through high school, Stefan was actually a nice and caring guy. He and Elena were perfect for each other, the kind of epic love you only see in the movies, and he soon became a good friend of Caroline as well.

Stefan and Elena always helped her with taking care of the two-year-old Alex when Caroline had to go to work, or in any other way they could, and Stefan always said he admired her for being such an amazing single mother. It was him who suggested she could work at their family owned magazine, which at the time had just managed to recover and was run by his older brother.

Caroline, who at the time was taking online courses, trying to get a master in journalism gladly accepted, and they might have not instantly hit it off with Damon, but she soon learned to tolerate her eccentric boss and the two became friends.

In a way Damon was the cocky and annoying older brother Caroline never had, and she liked working in the magazine. The thought that after four years she would have to leave the place she felt like her home made her sad, but it also sparked a determination inside her.

"Don't worry, Damon. We'll find the money and save the magazine."

"Are you going to sell your body or something? Because I don't know if you've noticed, but we need a shitload of money."

Judging by the return of his ability to make jokes in even a dire situation like this, Caroline thought that Damon was back to his normal self and it was safe to hit some sense into him.

"Ouch!" Damon grumbled, rubbing his forearm where she had punched him, and Caroline gave him a small, hopeful smile and said.

"We'll find a way. We always do."

A/N: Soo, what do you think? It's been a while since I last updated, probably because I have too many ongoing fanfictions and original stories and I don't want to give up on any of them.

What did you think about the chapter? It's a tad bit longer than the previous chapters, and I really hope you liked it.

Also, I haven't asked you. What do you think about Damon? He's a fun character to write. I will introduce another character from the show in the next chapter. Can you guess who it is?

As always, a big thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited my story. Adios my lovelies


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had this chapter in my computer for the last week or so, but I was too lazy to edit it, so it's uneditted. It's longer than my usual chapters, though, so I hope that makes up for it.

The other thing I wanted to tell you is that I won't update for a few weeks because I'm working on a Christmas-y/ wintery story that needs to be done before Christmas.

Just know that I haven't given up on this fic and that I'll update as soon as I can.

Enjoy, my lovelies.

XXXXX

"..and then after the teacher calls us inside we eat lunch and have a nap, but always go to the school's playground again later." Alex chirped geedily from where she was carefully belted in the backseat, and Klaus couldn't help the huge grin that crept on his face. He didn't remember when it was the last time he had smiled like that, or felt so happy, and he honestly didn't care.

Because now the sole reason why he felt like that was Alex. His daughter. The thought of it alone, the way his mind was already reffering to her as his daughter, was enough to make his smile widen.

"That's nice, sweetie." Klaus said, looking at Alec beaming at him through the rearview mirror.

Her initial shyness that was always prominent around strangers had soon disappeared, and by the time the car was nearing the part of town where her pre-school was located, Alex was talking unstoppably with her high-pitched little voice and Klaus was swelling with pride.

"Here we are." Klaus said as he parked the car and walked around to open Alex' door.

He felt a little sad that he had to part from his daughter, especially when he didn't know when Caroline would let him see her again, but when Alex wrapped her little chubby arms around him, having to stretch on her toes to reach him and her hands not meeting yet hodling onto him with a strength surprising for her age, Klaus decided that, if he judged from the warmth inside him and the silly smile still etched on his face, he was happier to be able to spend some time with his daughter than he was sad.

Klaus hugged Alex back, and then shooed her towards the small school building, but she didn't let go of him unless he promised to be the one who would fetch her from school.

'Goodbye, smurf." Klaus said and Alex looked at him with wide eyes and asked him with her giddy 'chipmunk' voice "How did you know I like the Smurfs?"

He couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled from inside him as he ruffled her hair "That was not exactly what I had in mind, little one."

Klaus waited at the gate until he saw Alex running towards her class- the building was painted in bright, cheerful colours, and he found out that the door to her class was red like her dress.

When the teacher gathered Alex and the other kids inside and Klaus made sure that she was safe, he left, but not before he waved back at his little girl.

His little girl. It felt so good to be able to think of it even when he couldn't say it aloud.

Back in the car, Klaus leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. For a moment, the horror of last night's dream washed over him and he squeezed his eyes tighter to will it away. He wouldn't be like his father. He would never hurt Alex, he kept repeating in his head, trying to reasure hiself and get rid of this irrational fear that gripped him once again.

The scene that kept playing behind his lids every time he closed his eyes would not come true. He wasn't like him.. Would never allow himself to be him.

Then why did he feel that he would do something and ruin everything?

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose and felt his chest and stiff shoulders fall after he heaved a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine of his car roared to life.

He was responsible for driving Alex to the magazine to meet Caroline when school was over, and that meant that he had a few hours to kill. It was that and the need of a distraction that had him driving towards his sister's house.

Rebekah lived in the penthouse of a big apartment complex full with a doorman and big elevator that played obnoxious music and all. Klaus chose to take the stairs, climbing them two at a time. He hoped his sister was home. He knew that at this time of the day- it was pretty early- Rebekah was probably napping in bed since her boyfriend had already gone to work.

Matt was a mere engineer, but Klaus had absolutely no problem with his job. He was an actually decent guy who seemed to appreciate and love his sister, and Klaus started to like him even more when he noticed that ever since Rebekah started dating him, her bitchy side had considerably subsided.

When Klaus reached the top floor, the muscles of his legs burning a little from the activity, he knocked on the door but got no response. Getting impatient, he rung the bell, at the same time calling "Open the door, Rebekah. I know you're in there."

There was the sound of foot shuffling and low muttering from the other side of the door, and then Klaus was stood face to face with his sister, who was clad in only her robe and her messy halo of blond hair.

"Geez, Nik. What's so urgent that couldn't allow me a few more minutes of sleep?" she said as a greeting, and Klaus smiled and let himself in, by now used to his sister's antics.

"You could at least pretend you're happy to see your only brother." he said jokingly, and Rebekah rolled her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee for herself.

"Firstly" she said, raising a finger as if she was actually counting "You're not my only brother. I happen to have three more brothers, unfortunately. And secondly, you could also pretend that something important has come up at work and you have to leave immediately and to my great distress I'll have to show you out."

Klaus shook his head mockingly, and Rebekah whined in defence "What? Last night I barely had a blink of sleep. It was Matt and I's anniversary, and he took me out on a romantic date, and then-"

"I really don't need to hear the end of this, sweetheart." Klaus cut her quickly, shuddering a little and Rebekah gave him a satisfied smile.

While she prepared her coffee- sugar, no milk- she made small talk with Klaus, informing him of their family's latest news. Finn and his fiance' Sage were still settled in England but would be visiting them for Christmas, Kol had been almost kicked out of college again and didn't seem like he would give up his trouble-maker reputation any time soon, and Elijah had asked Rebekah when they talked on the phone the day before to invite Klaus for dinner at his place.

While all these would mean something to him at any other time, Klaus found it difficult to concentrate on his sister's words right now as she kept talking- about what he wasn't sure.

"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" Rebekah asked irritably, and Klaus didn't try to correct her.

"Alright, what's wrong?" she asked, sighing in resignation as she planted her hand on her hip and peered curiously at him "Doesn't the doting father role not suit you well?'

Klaus felt a pang in his chest and he ignored his sister's scrutinizing gaze, taking his time to answer "That's not the case. It's that...I can't stop thinking about things, you know? About Mikael."

He grabbed Rebekah's mug of coffee and took a sip to busy himself. Its bitter taste suited him, he just wished that there was something stronger than coffee in the mug. He let his head fall to his hands and ran his hands through his hair until he was sure they looked completely dishevelled. He couldn't find it in him to care.

Rebekah sat on the chair behind the kitchen island across of him and looked his dead in the eye "So you're thinking that you'll turn out to be like our father. You'll do to your daughter the things Mikael did to you, and hurt her, and prove Caroline right. Tell me if I'm wrong."

Klaus winced inwardly at the bluntness of her words, but it was this often mistaken for bitchiness bluntness that made him love his sister even more. Rebekah didn't sugar-coat things, and at the moment he really appreciated it.

"Pretty much."

"Well, listen to me, Klaus Mikaelson." Rebekah said firmly, effectively drawing his gaze away from the ripples of the surface of his coffee. "You will become the silliest, nonetheless greatest dad that has ever existed and I bet that Alex is the luckiest five-year-old who has an amazing dad wrapped around her finger, even if she doesn't know it yet."

Klaus was surprised by her words and a smile grazed his lips. At that, Rebekah looked satisfied as if she had achieved a great feat. He couldn't control himself when he stood up and scooped her up into a hug.

"Thanks, little sister." he whispered against her hair. After a while Rebekah swatted him away and told him to get the hell out of her house because 'she needed her beauty sleep'.

Even then, as Klaus left, or rather was thrown out with a 'and don't ever come back this early in the morning without an actual good reason", he could tell that she was smiling.

XXXXX

Caroline sighed and finally allowed herself to lean back in her chair after two hours of working non-stop. She felt exhausted and she still wasn't even halfway done, but she figured she deserved a break, and most importantly Damon owed to make her a coffee since she was the one doing all the dirty job for him- if of course studying all of the magazine's bankbooks and estimating their budget could be considered a dirty job.

All of the accounting books and the notes she herself had scribbled down since Damon was too useless at the economical aspect of his business that he was no help at all and after a while Caroline just took over and told him to leave and not bother her while she worked were spread all over her desk.

She clicked the pencil in her hand for a couple of times and let her eyes close as she rolled her shoulders and stretched her sore arms; being bent over a desk for two hours straight was never a good idea. The fuct that she was worried sick about Alex being in Klaus' care while she had to work and keeping glancing at the clock in the opposite wall didn't help either.

"You look like you could use a break." a voice called from somewhere close to her, and Caroline opened her eyes and straightened in her seat, suddenly aware that she was sprawled out on her chair in a way that would most likely had gotten any employer scolded to say the least.

Realising that it was only Tyler, the one that delivered the mails to the magazine twice a weak- being the weirdo he was, Damon didn't want the mail to arrive more often than that.

Caroline chuckled and offered him a weary smile. "You don't say, Tyler."

XXXXX

Klaus was stood outside the colourful building of Alex's school ten minutes earlier than the time Caroline had told him. There were kids playing outside in the school yard, their laughter loud and carefree. He watched them with a small smile on his lips, which grew bigger when he spotted Alex among them.

She had seen him as well and started running towards him. Her little hand reached out to wave at him through the bars that prevented the little children to leave the kindergarten's premices- they were also colourful, something that Klaus found cynically amusing.

"You came!" Alex exclaimed.

"Of course I did. Did you think I would leave you here, smurf?" Klaus asked her, secretly pleased that his little girl laughed happily at her new nickname.

"Hey, I have an idea. You don't finish school until ten minutes later, but how about I ask the teacher if I can fetch you now, and then you and me can go to the magazine and surprise mom?"

"Oh, yes! Can we do that?" the toddler asked, bouncing excitedly on the heels of her feet, but then she abruptly stopped and a small frown took over her features as she looked behind her.

Klaus followed her gaze, concerned at the sudden change, and saw three little girls walking towards them. He didn't like their expressions and clothes that consisted only of pink. It reminded him of those awful girly movies Rebekah used to watch where there were always some girls that thought they were above everyone else and liked to terrorize the other students.

He guessed that, if he judged by Alex's reaction to the arrival of the girls, the same thing that occured in high school could apply to kindergarten as well.

"Hello, sir." one of the girls, the one in the middle, took a step forward and spoke in a fauz-sweet and polite voice. "We were just wondering if you are Alex's father."

Definitely a movie-worthy toddler-sized bitch, then. Alex was nervously biting her lip to the point where Klaus was afraid she would hurt herself and her gaze was darting back and forth between him and the girls that were obviously not her friends, while the other two girls were quietly snickering behind their palms.

Klaus adressed the girl that had talked to him and asked her at the same tone "And you are?"

"Margaret." the girl said immediately, and Klaus nodded, shooting Alex a reassuring smile.

"Well, Margaret. I don't see how this is your business, but since you asked, yes. I am Alex's father and I won't accept little brats like you making my daughter's life miserable."

Margaret and her two friends shrunk back at his words, and he smiled triumphantly at Alex.

At the car, she was silent. Klaus wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he refrained from it, thinking that Alex would speak when she was ready.

"You didn't have to lie, you know." Alex eventually said in a small voice, her face turned towards the window of the backseat.

Klaus felt stinging guilt at having to lie to her, but he couldn't do otherwise. He had made a pledge to Caroline and he intended to keep it, so he settled for saying "It's okay, Alex. Those girls back there are just mean and you should ignore them."

Alex nodded and after a while more of silence, she added "Don't tell mom about it, please, Klaus."

He sighed and agreed. He did not like it, but Rebekah was right: Alex already had him wrapped around her little finger and he had to admit that he was starting to like it.

When they reached the magazine and they got out of the car, the gloom that had fell over Alex disappeared and she returned to her bubbly self, talking about her day as he clutched her little hand into his to cross the street.

"Hey, Klaus?" Alex asked when they were just outside the building where the magazine was located. She tugged at the sleeve of his coat and he knelt before her so that she could look him in the eyes. "Will you come visit us sometime?" Alex asked, and then as an after thought sqealed in excitement "Or maybe we could go at McDonald's. I love Happy Meals!"

"I'd love to."

Klaus placed a kiss on the top of Alex's mope of curly blond hair, glad when she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her into the building, laughing all the while.

XXXXX

Tyler leaned with his elbows against the desk and Caroline tried to ignore the fact that he was crumpling the papers sitting on top of it.

"How about you let me kidnap you for a date and you forget all about work and other boring stuff?" he asked suggestively and Caroline rolled her eyes inwardly.

Tyler had been trying to get her to go on a date with her for the past few months, and while he seemed like a nice guy, if not a clumsy and persistent one, finding a boyfriend was the least of Caroline's priorities, something Tyler didn't seem capable of comprehending no matter how many times he was turned down.

Caroline was ready to tell Tyler for the tenth time that she wasn't ready to date yet, when she spotted Klaus walking down the hallway towards her office with Alex by his side.

She didn't know what pushed her to do so. It certaintly wasn't to spite Kluas, she told herself, but maybe a part of herself just wanted to show him that she had a life outside him, or maybe see that happy expression wiped from his face as it did when she said louder than needed "I'm afraid I can't right now, but how about Saturday night? It'll be like a date, just the two of us."

She knew how cheap she was being and she regretted the words that left her mouth the minute she spoke them, but that of course couldn't change the glowing expression that appeared on Tyler's face who didn't seem concerned about the sudden change of her attitude, or the glowering look Klaus gave her as he came to stand beside her just as Tyler was leaving the office with a quick "See you on Saturday" tossed over his shoulder.

Klaus handed over Alex without talking to her other than respond questions like 'has Alex eaten lunch', or 'was she a good girl at school?'. He was giving her the silent treatment, then, but Caroline didn't owe him an explanation or anything else.

Let him act like a five year old, Caroline thought to herself.

It was at that exact moment that, as if on cue, Damon chose to appear at the office for the first time after being shooed away with the accusation of being no help to Caroline. Yet, at that moment he was an actually pretty good help since the condescending look he gave Klaus upon seeing him was enough to make the blond aware that he was no longer welcomed there.

"Bye, Caroline." Klaus told her politely, but when he turned to Alex, Caroline saw that his face softened and a smile formed on his lips. "I hope I'll see you soon, smurf."

Caroline didn't comment on the stupid nickname Klaus apparently had given her daughter, but there was something at seeing Klaus and Alex together that made her soften as well for an instance


End file.
